at this hour news cameras and reporters are getting a firsthand look at the cleanup underway in a devastated san bruno neighborhood. >> pg&e is investigating a stunning possible cause in the natural gas explosion. tiny bacteria. jenelle wang is live in san bruno with the latest. jenelle? >> kristen and cheryl, it's called influence corrosion, also known as mic. investigators will see if that was a cause in the san bruno

explosion that happened two weeks ago and destroyed this neighborhood. mic is believed to be the cause of a deadly explosion in new mexico ten years ago. a gas line ruptured in the desert killing 12. after looking at the direct pipeline, investigators found destructive microbes which can lie undetected for years in an underground pipeline. it starts eating and corroding away the metal. the pipeline in new mexico over 50 years old and 30 inches in diameter. the pipeline in san bruno, over 50 years old and 30 inches in diameter. pg&e told state regulators last year there was ongoing concern about the internal corrosion for the pipeline that ran from san francisco through san bruno. microbes have shown up in several tests along the lines. experts not associated with pg&e confirm it's very likely pipelines as old as 50 years old could have microbes in it.

the only way to check is by sending robots called smart pigs or cleaning pigs to detect any cracks or remove gunk on the walls but can't fit in narrow pipelines like the one in san bruno. a professor, a civil engineer at ucs disagrees with the report saying it's unlikely the cause is internal corrosion. >> if you don't have the statistics of the u.s., most of the cases of corrosions, damage, are external. >> pg&e can't comment at this time to the article because of the ongoing investigation but will say mic is rare in the pipeline system. there have been seven leaks in the pg&e transmission lines, about 6400 miles since january 2005 due to internal corrosion but they don't know if they were called by mic's specifically.

the insides were removed and microbial inhibitors applied when necessity. the investigation is expected to take one year. we just got word media was allowed in. i got a tour of this area. we'll get a full report tonight at 5:00 and 6:00. >> jenelle, thanks very much taz memorial as much as will be held today for three generations of a family who died in the gas explosion. 85-year-old levon bulls, her son gregory and her 17-year-old grandson william all died in the intern no. today's service will take place at the first presbyterian church at burlingame at 4:00 this afternoon. a procession at mills high school. >> traffic is being diverted around oakland airport this morning following a crash between a van and a motorcycle. sky 7 hd took these pictures shortly after the crash happened at 6:00 this morning at the intersection of haginburger road

and link drive. you can see that the bike slammed into the side of the van. the motorcyclist was taken to the hospital. his condition is unknown. southbound and northbound haginburger road will be closed in the area until about noontime. >> the man accused of kidnapping jaycee dugard and holding her captive in a home in antioch 18 years will be in court this afternoon and may enter an insanity plea. phillip garrido's attorney may say her client is mentally incompetent to stand trial. if the judge agrees to order a mental evaluation, it would put an immediate stop to the proceedings and could delay the case for years. both garrido and his wife nancy are pleaded not guilty. if incompetent, he will be sent to a state medical facility. >> a judge is expected to decide whether california can proceed with the execution of a murderer next wednesday. the same judge who will be ruling today also ordered california to stop executions in

2006 and demand the changes in the lethal injection process. death penalty opponents claim the state hasn't met those requirements. but the state department of corrections says it's built a new death chamber and has better trained its staff. officials say there's no reason to delay the execution of albert brown. brown was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in 1980. it appears the state is paying scores of rapists, elder abusers to care for california's most vulnerable residents. according to the l.a. times, data provided by state officials show 210 workers and applicants flagged by investigators as unsuitable to work in the state's home health aid program are still scheduled to resume origin working with elderly or disabled californians. the rules of the program prevent investigators from reporting on the background of many of the felons. efforts to fix the loophole has stalled in the legislature.

>> governor schwarzenegger and top legislative leaders hope to have a final budget agreement by monday. late yesterday both sides agreed on a budget framework but did not elaborate on details. they say they will try to hammer out those details this coming weekend. if they can agree, legislators will be called back to sacramento for debate and then a vote. republican and democrats were deeply split over how to close the state's $19 billion deficit with tax increases or spending cuts. today is the 86th without a budget. that's the longest the state has gone in a fiscal year without an approved spending plan. >> $900 million in transportation spending on hold. our media partner the san jose mercury news reports the california transportation commission is delaying the start of several bay area projects. it includes adding merging lanes between university avenue and marsh road on highway 101 in san

mateo county. also on hold $9 million from metering lights and chp pullout areas in 101 in san mateo county. also rebuilding the tully road 101 interchange in san jose. >> incumbent democratic senator barbara boxer widening her lead over challenger carly fiorina. she leads the former hewlett-packard ceo 47 to 41%. senator boxer's support has remained the same since the last poll in july but ferrino slipped slightly. 12% of voters still say they are undecided in this race. >> president obama is sharply criticizing the iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad's controversial comments on terrorist attacks in america. the president called mahmoud ahmadinejad's reharshed rant about september 11th conspiracy theories offensive. >> it was hateful. and particularly for him to make

the statement here in manhattan just -- just a little north of ground zero. for him to make a statement like that was inexcusable. >> the u.s. walked out after the address to the u.n. yesterday after he suggested the terrorist attacks were staged by the u.s. to boost support for israel. today mahmoud ahmadinejad defended his remarks and challenged the united nations to set up a commission to study the attacks. >> something most of us test several times a day is apparently dirtier than a public toilet seat. but first... >> an easier answer to have scientists that have vegetables that pick themselves. the genetic engineers over fruit of the loom have made great strides in human food hybrids. >> comedian steven colbert takes his act to capitol hill. his biting message to lawmakers about illegal workers. >> actress lindsay lohan trades in her designer clothing today

>> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld comedian steven colbert bringing attention to the serious issue of illegal immigration. eric thomas here with more. >> his performance there was not so much. colbert took on the serious subject with house members from both parties not that thrilled to see them. one asked him to file a statement and leave the hearing room. colbert stayed and the results were pretty funny. >> congresswoman laugh grin asked me to share my vast experience spending one day as a migrant farm worker. >> after spending one days in the shoes of a farm worker, comedian steven colbert brought his tongue and cheek

observations to capitol hill. >> i don't want a tomato picked by a mexican, i want it by an american and in a spa where a chilean gives me a brazilian. >> for the most part, a pompous commentator poking fun at himself and others, migrant farm workers who are illegal i immigrants. >> i trust you'll work in the best interest of the american people as you always do. >> but the issue is a touchy one with some conservative members of congress calling for closing the border and sending illegals back. others said colbert's testimony would make a mockery of the issue. democrats called that sentiment ironic. >> republicans invited clint eastwood to testify before congress about 88 lawsuits. and republicans also invited

elmo to talk about music education at the house appropriation subcommittee on labor, health and human services. >> there were testy moments including this one with iowa republican steve king over how much work colbert actually did. >> i watched you picking beans and i believe you did. i also watched you -- you said packing corn but i was watching you unpack corn. >> put it in the trucks, ice it down. >> as colbert wound down his appearance, he made this serious observation. >> one of the least powerful people are my migrant worker that is have no rights as a result. we invite them to come here and at the same time ask them to leave. >> his written statement apparently made serious points about the low pay and hard work done by migrant farm workers. he urged lawmakers to do something so he doesn't have to go out there. we have colbert's testimony from today's full immigration hearing

on our website abc7news.com under "see it on tv." >> brought a lot more attention to it than it would have gotten. >> yes, he did. >> eric, thank you. >> sure. >> another celebrity in the news. actress lindsay lohan is back in jail right now. a judge ordered her to remain in custody for failing a drug test last week. the troubled star could serve nearly a month for violating her probation. the judge wouldn't listen to argumentless for bail from low hand's attorney in a beverly hills courtroom. she was taken away in handcuffs immediately after. this is lohan's third sentence for a three-year-old drunken driving case from 2007. her next court date is in four weeks. >> mike ahead with the weekend forecast. >> a warm one, too. take a look outside, show you the sunshine and warm weather already brewing. from emeryville back to the coast and don't see clouds. the free air conditioning over. we'll have some poor air quality. a possibility. i'll tell you when the heat is coming to our neighborhood. >> mike, thanks.

a $100 million announcement. why facebook.com says he's giving a huge donation to newark public schools. you can see

man: we need a sofa. something i can stretch out on! woman: ooh... that will go with those lamps my mother gave us. or we could get some new lamps. or we could get no sofa. negotiating, eh? you got it! how about a nice home for our tv? how about doors to hide that drive-in theater? how about a cowhide rug? yee-haw! and the snacks? get their own place. let the marathon begin!

♪ facebook.com founder mark zuckerberg is making official his $100 million donation to newark, new jersey, public schools. the 26-year-old became one of hi-tech's biggest philanthropists. he did grow up nearby. he picked newark for the gift because he believes in these guys. you see them there with him. the governor and mayor and stanford graduate. education is paramount. >> every child deserves a good education. right now that's not happening. (applause) >> you know, i mean, i've had a lot of opportunities in my life. a lot of that comes from having gone to really good schools. i just wanna do what i can to make sure that everyone has

those same opportunities. >> new york system has low test scores and graduation rates and has been taken over by the state for poor management. that's cory booker. you can watch oprah today at 4 p.m. here on abc 7. >> very generous. all right. meteorologist mike nicco looking at the weekend. and he's coming up. >> and mother nature very generous with the sunshine and the warm weather this weekend. a few places you can go maybe to beat the heat. we're looking out in santa cruz. you can see the warm -- i wouldn't say warm inviting water, the cool inviting water but the warm sandy beach. how about that! if that's not your thing, a little higher elevation. here we are. taking a look down on lake tahoe which looks absolutely gorgeous, also. as far as what we're seeing, you can see that clear sky just about everywhere across the state as warmer weather is starting to take over. let's talk temperatures and what's going on here at home. already in the upper 60s around oakland, redwood city, los gatos, 66 san rafael.

and that's the cool spot at the 11:00 hour. the rest of us low to mid-70s. the monterey bay, 69 santa cruz and monterey, salinas already 80 and gilroy. off to the races today with warmer than average temperatures and sunshine everywhere. good news, it's still going to stay clear and fairly cool at night. weekends, the beaches, they'll be in the 80s in the ocean water. the 50s. redwood city, 3 degrees above average. san francisco 9 and oakland 11 degrees warmer than average. yesterday we got back to average. today we jump above average and this weekend we just keep building the heat as this area of high pressure keeps building over the west coast. and because it's such a strong ridge, it's going to hang around through at least about tuesday, maybe even wednesday of next week. for today our highs down in the south -- the east bay will be the warmest with 89 dublin, low to mid-90s everywhere else. on the east bay shore we have richmond and berkeley in the low 80s, mid to upper 80s for

everybody else. south bay mid to upper 80s until los gatos at 90. 87 san jose. peninsula today very nice. low to mid-80s for you. tonight it will cool down enough to sleep well. low to mid-70s along the coast today. downtown south san francisco and sausalito upper 70s to low 80s. mid-80s san rafael, vallejo and petaluma with upper 80s to low 90s the rest of the north bay valleys. beaches 15 degrees cooler but upper 70s and relatively calm conditions. lower 70s carmel, monterey, mid to upper 80s the rest of monterey bay. tonight's temperatures, mid to upper 50s the north bay valleys and upper 60s to low 50s for the rest of us. take you up to tahoe and talk about what it's going to do. a lot of sunshine, 75 today, 79 tomorrow. 80 sunday. yosemite looks at the lowest elevation. going to be hot, 100 degree temperatures but look at that dry air down in the 40s at

night. here's your accu-weather seven-day forecast. we add about 2 to 4 degrees on to the temperatures tomorrow, again sunday and they'll peak on monday, near 90 around bay, near 80 at the coast. monday we could have poor air quality. air will start to clean and cool slightly wednesday and thursday. temperatures still above average. >> thanks. >> thanks a lot. listen to this, two south bay hospitals unveil what they hope is say new tool to cut down on your waiting time in the emergency room. san jose's good samaritan and regional medical center will now post emergency room wait times on their website. and they will send users the same information via text message. officials are stressing the tool is not meant to help those with serious life threatening injuries. if you have stroke or heart attack symptoms, you should call 9-1-1. >> a study by the university of arizona show elevator buttons have 40 times the bacteria found

on public toilet seats. researchers say e-coli and other stomach bugs are common on those buttons touched by hundreds of people. a typical office desk has 400 more times bacteria than a toilet seat. the upshot, always wash your hands before you touch your food. >> good elbow technique there, kristen. >> coming up, friday's perfect pet. >> up next mike will be back to introduce us to piper. >> monday's show fired a lot of people up. oprah: it's shocking. now, breaking news from facebook's young ceo. >> plus, the secretary of education. a harlem superhero. and grammy winner john legend. next "oprah."

i spend three hours on my homework -- or at least that's what my mom thinks. with high speed internet from at&t, i get my homework done fast, leaving me time to download movies and music and chat with my fends. [ mom ] how's your studying? it's coming along! [ female announcer ] work faster, play more with the fastest internet for the price. call to get high speed for $14.95 a month with a one-year price guarantee. please, i know what he's up to. high speed internet from at&t is so fast that we get more done in less time, leaving me time to chat... watch movies... without teenage distractions. and it's affordable for our family. [ female announcer ] call to get highpeed for $14.95 a month with a one-year price guarantee.

plus get access to the entire at&t national wi-fi network on the go. cookies? [ boy ] sure! tell your friends hi for me. ♪ [ female announcer ] high speed internet from at&t.

coming up at 5:00, the u.s. bank handing out multimillion dollar bonuses to dozens of executives. the judge's ruling anytime whether california will move forward next week with its first execution in five years. those stories and more at 5:00. >> time for friday's perfect pets. mike here with a new friend. >> here with piper from the peninsula humane society. how are you? >> doing great. piper as you can see is a cocker spaniel. wants to get down and play. it's amazing, came to us as a stray. and it's amazing because he's obviously a pet. he knows sit, down, knows high five. >> very nice! >> and sit up. he's the coolest dog in the world. he's so cool. he rode up in the car so great. looking out the window, really little copilot.

just a neat dog, a fun dog. loves to play ball. your better part there. (laughter) >> he wants to play! >> you wanna dance, okay. >> a really nice dog. representing all the dogs we have, datsuns and poodles and cocker spaniels. >> you had him already a year? >> too many. we'd like people to come down and adopt piper and all the others. >> if you're interested in piper, call 650-340-7022. there you go! >> piper! (laughter) >> so cute. that's going to do it for us. >> that's all. thanks for joining us. "who wants to be a millionaire" next.